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Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid. The base and acid are prevented from reacting prematurely by the inclusion of a buffer such as cornstarch. Baking powder is used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods.
It is an acid source for reaction with baking soda to leaven baked goods. [4] In baking powder, it is often labeled as food additive E450. [5] In cured meats, it speeds the conversion of sodium nitrite to nitrite (NO − 2) by forming the nitrous acid (HONO) intermediate, [clarification needed] and can improve water-holding capacity.
Since chemical expertise is required to create a functional chemical leaven without producing off-flavors from the chemical precursors involved, such substances are often mixed into premeasured combinations for maximum results. These are generally referred to as baking powders. Sour milk and carbonates were used in the 1800s.
Caking is a consequence of chemical reactions of grain surfaces. Often these reactions involve adsorption of water vapor or other gases. Crystalline solids often cake by formation of liquid bridge between microcrystals and subsequent fusion of a solid bridge. Amorphous materials can cake by glass transitions and changes in
It is used as a component of baking powders and baking mixes, as mordant in textile dyeing, as reducer of chromium trioxide in mordants for wool, as a metal processing agent that prevents oxidation, as an intermediate for other potassium tartrates, as a cleaning agent when mixed with a weak acid such as vinegar, and as reference standard pH buffer.
Chemical leavening agents include a weak base, such as baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) plus a weak acid, such as cream of tartar, lemon juice, or cultured buttermilk, to create an acid–base reaction that releases carbon dioxide. (Quick bread leavened specifically with baking soda is often called "soda bread".)
Compared to baking soda or potash, hartshorn has the advantage of producing more gas for the same amount of agent, and of not leaving any salty or soapy taste in the finished product, as it completely decomposes into water and gaseous products that evaporate during baking. It cannot be used for moist, bulky baked goods however, such as normal ...
Calcium dihydrogen phosphate is used in the food industry as a leavening agent, i.e., to cause baked goods to rise.Because it is acidic, when combined with an alkali carbonate ingredient, commonly sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or potassium bicarbonate, it reacts to produce carbon dioxide and a salt.